My rants about concealed carry holsters. What works, what doesn't and why.

Finding that "perfect" concealed carry holster is almost a never ending quest for individuals who carry concealed. Most people go through a series of holsters in a trial and error process trying to find the perfect combination of comfort and concealment.

In most cases, handgun owners end up with the proverbial "box of holsters" that end up sitting around without being used.

Rarely does a week go by where someone comes in my my store or sends me an e-mail asking about the effectiveness of fanny packs. Here's my .02 cents on that topic:

Fanny packs became quite popular for gun holsters during the early 90's. In the beginning, they were quite effective for this purpose. Heck, I had a few myself and wore them when the conditions were right.

Unfortunately, as their popularity started to rise, various gun holster companies started marketing these very hard in print and other forms of media. Over time, the average joe started to associate fanny packs with guns. This occurred despite that fact that about 80% of the general population pays no attention to what is going on around them. Even today when I see someone wearing a fanny pack, I still begin to wonder if they are carrying a handgun.

During the 10 or so years that I owned a brick and mortar gun store, I marveled at the number of customers who walked in armed using a fanny pack as a holster.

If it were me, I would do everything in my power to try to find an alternative kind of on-body carry in lieu of a fanny pack. Not that fanny packs are bad, just a little to obvious for my tastes.

For the most part, gun holsters are generally available with one of two possible cants:

Straight Cant - Also called zero cant, these are holsters that ride in the straight up and down position.

Forward Cant - Made popular by the FBI, the forward cant is usually built on a 15 degree angle as this was determined to be optimum by the FBI.

Straight Cant

Forward Cant

Which one is best?

That really comes down to personal opinion. Some argue that the forward cant is easier to conceal, but that's debatable. Others argue that the forward cant offers a slightly quicker draw, but I've never personally noticed a draw speed difference.

SOB is an acroynm for small of the back, and refers to gun holsters that are worn in the small of the back. These holsters can be worn on the belt or clipped on inside the waistband. A number of holster makers produce SOB models and there has always been a fair amount of controversy over this style.

Why the controversy? It stems from some opinions about the safety and functionality of this type of holster. Those issues include:

SafetyThere two three points in regards to potential safety issues:

Retention - The premise here is that the gun will be difficult to retain during an attempted grab or take-away. I can certainly see the concerns from a weapon retention standpoint as a person behind you could certainly make an attempt to take the weapon and it would be very difficult to defend from that position.

Back Injury - Many detractors also talk about the position of the handgun on the spine in the event of a fall. You certainly could injure your spine if you feel down and landed on your back carrying a handgun in this position. I personally know a law enforcement officer who slipped on icy steps leaving his house and injured his spine when he fell on his weapon being carried in the SOB position. Did the weapon do all the damage? Who knows.

Sweeping the body - Another major concern associated with this style of carry involves potentially sweeping the kidney area with the muzzle during the draw. The thought process here is that, during a moment of stress, the shooter makes an attempted draw and the muzzle does sweep the kidney area. An accidental discharge in this scenario could certainly cause significant injury or death.

From a functionality standpoint, the biggest question seems to center around the overall effectiveness of the holster in terms of performance and concealment. From my viewpoint, the holster doesn't conceal well and doesn't allow for rapid deployment.

My personal opinion: I'm not really a fan of this style at all. My opinion doesn't really stem from rumors or internet opinions on this style, but from my own personal experiences. I have tried various SOB holsters just to test and formulate my own thoughts. I don't like the holster position from a defensive position, and I'm not a fan of the way it's drawn. I personally prefer s strong side holster any day.

However, this is just my opinion, and your own mileage may vary. You may find it's the "perfect" gun holster for you, but I really doubt it.